


a queen on her knight machine

by orphan_account



Series: cancelling the apocalypse [4]
Category: Avengers (Comics), Marvel (Comics), Young Avengers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Fitting In, Friendship, Team Dynamics, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-02
Updated: 2013-08-02
Packaged: 2017-12-22 05:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/909503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone wants to be stationed at the Midway Shatterdome. As the breach grew and grew, Midway became the center of the action. No more waiting for the Kaiju to get within sight of land. The miracle mile couldn't be the first line of defense, it took two disasters to prove that. If you wanted action, you asked for a Midway posting.</p><p>Rikki and Eli have been stationed in Alaska for two years when the orders finally come through. They're heading to Midway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a queen on her knight machine

**Author's Note:**

> We have over a page of notes on this verse, so hopefully this helps lay out some of the world that we're creating <3

Everyone wants to be stationed at the Midway Shatterdome. As the breach grew and grew, Midway became the center of the action. No more waiting for the Kaiju to get within sight of land. The miracle mile couldn't be the first line of defense, it took two disasters to prove that. If you wanted action, you asked for a Midway posting.

Rikki and Eli have been stationed in Alaska for two years when the orders finally come through. They're heading to Midway.

Up in Alaska, they had two smaller Kaiju, class ones that slipped through while Midway was distracted with a larger class four. The Nomad Blue handled them with ease. Even if she was a hand me down, patched together from old Jaegers sent to the Boneyard, Nomad Blue is their Jaeger and to Eli and Rikki she's the best. It's still a rush that they've done it, they're worth of Midway.

The plane is almost empty. There's the two of them and some of Nomad's tech crews - Angela and David - and someone else. No one is sure who he is, he's on board before them, seated in the very first row, his back firmly to the rest of them and he seems to be asleep. No one is going to start their promotion by disturbing a stranger so they leave him be and soon enough they forget about him. Angela is in her texts despite David's attempts to distract her. Rikki watches the water below their plane. It's a cloudy day and the water is the color of slate.

Eli leans in to stare out the window with her, just sitting there in silence. Rikki likes drifting with Eli. He's not exactly calm, he has a temper which he tries to hide, but there's a steadiness. He's protective, the best friend she's ever had. More like a brother than a friend.

"It's kind of creepy, ain't it." Eli rests his chin on her shoulder as he talks. "All dark and foreboding."

"Who knows what's underneath the surface," Rikki finishes. Except they both know what's waiting. A gaping hole to another world where monsters live, monsters that slowly cross over into theirs. He holds her hand loosely and they watch the water move underneath them. "What do you think Midway's gonna be like?"

"Big, loud, lots of famous jaeger pilots to look down at us."

"You really think anyone is going to look down at you?"

They both jump at the third voice, it's so easy to lose themselves in each other and forget that other people can hear them. They look up together to see the stranger, the man who had been asleep at the front of the plane sitting backwards on the seat in front of them and looking down at them.

Rikki thinks she squeaks but it's more then Eli who just manages to stare. "Steve Rogers?"

Steve scratches nervously at his neck, as if he's the one suddenly faced with one of the most skilled Rangers in the PPDC. "Hi uh…"

"I'm Eli Bradley," Eli gets his tongue back first. "And this is Rikki Barnes."

"Bradley? Like Isaiah Bradley?"

"He's my uncle, sir."

Steve shakes his head. "Don't call me sir, please. I knew your uncle. He was a good man." He holds out a hand which Eli takes cautiously. Rikki understands what he's feeling, he's not used to such easy acceptance and he's waiting for the hand to be snatched back. But Steve's grip doesn't waver. "I'm sure you'll fit in fine at Midway. I promise we don't bite. Except Misty."

"Si- Steve. I- thanks."

"What were you doing in Alaska?" Rikki blurts out. 

"I was just visiting." He settles down more comfortably, his back to the window. "Grew up out here. Sometimes it's nice to come back. Home is Midway now but it's..."

"It's memories?" Eli suggests hesitantly. He's leaning forward in his seat, they both are. Steve Rogers has set the record for Kaiju kills, he's set a number of records and gained just as much renown for trying to avoid the press which idolizes the Jaeger pilots. Rikki's only known of him showing up at the Academy to give any lectures twice, everyone else who comes always says Steve doesn't think he's a good enough public speaker for it. Rikki doesn't get it, the man's a hero and he carries himself like one.

His smile fades slightly, obviously lost for a second in one of the countless memories in his head. Three other people, three co-pilots over the years. Rikki can't imagine the pain of that but cowers at the thought of asking. It's too personal.

"Lots of memories," he finally says, bringing himself back to reality. "But it's beautiful too, lots of nature especially by the coast. Midway doesn't even compare."

"Can you tell us about it?" Rikki asks.

Steve lights up. Obviously excited at the chance to talk about anything that isn't him. "Of course."

-

When they're almost there, they land on a aircraft carrier and switch to a helicopter. There's not enough space at the Midway Shatterdome for an airstrip, but a helicopter can land. 

Midway is chaos under a careful lid of control. Steve looks like he wants to stop and help them out but there's someone there already listing off things he's needed for. He disappears almost immediately with a final 'good luck' over his shoulder. The crew of the Nomad Blue is left to linger on the runway for a few minutes before someone shows up to give them a quick tour.

The Garage is overwhelming. Five Jaegers loom over them, Redwing Delta, Mustang Fire, Iron Dragon, Spider Alpha, and Ragnarok Fire. Rikki has seen them all on the news feeds in action. At the academy they studied the tactics and skills of each one.

"She'll arrive tomorrow. It's always a bit slower by boat, even if she leaves first," their guide explains. Rikki had missed his name, something with an 'S' maybe. He wears a neat uniform, but his shoulders are relaxed and he smiles at them, as if truly happy that they're here. "She'll be in the new hangar."

"I've never seen so many Jaegers in one place," Eli says, barely noticing the words coming out of the guide's mouth.

"And there's more. Echo Thunder is in the new hangar as well and two more in cold storage." The guide looks towards the far end of the hanger where Rikki realizes it's not a wall but a giant door. "But if they're needed, which we hope they won't ever be, but if they are, we can have them out and deployed in half an hour."

"How does Midway handle the energy requirements? And just keeping things running? It was hard enough in Alaska to handle the two Jaegers there." Angela speaks up and Rikki can see she has a million more questions she's holding onto for later.

The guide laughs softly and shrugs. "Duct tape? I think Marshall Rambeau is waiting for it to fall apart at any moment."

-

Dinner on Midway is a communal event. Everyone crowds into the meal room. Some people take trays and disappear elsewhere, their rooms, work centers. Kaijus don't wait for people to finish eating. But for the most part everyone gathers together to eat.

"Hey! Eli! Rikki!" Steve waves at them as they try to find some place to sit. Their techs have been adopted into the small community of techs already there. Steve is sitting with his co-pilots and the pilots of some of the other teams. Rikki recognizes all of them. 

Next to Steve is Bucky and sitting across is Sam, there's Carol Danvers and Jessica Drew of the Spider Alpha and Danny Rand, co-pilot of the Iron Dragon, whose family funded the beginning of the Jaeger project and grew up practically inside of one. Rikki's read all their life stories a million times. She's seen them on TV and in magazines. When she was a kid she owned a figurine of Carol Danvers in her flight suit and another of Steve and Sarah Rogers' Jaeger. With them she saved the world - and saved her brother - a thousand times over.

She doesn't belong in this company. She's been out of the Academy for two and a half years, her Jaeger is a hand me down. No one knows her name, she's not famous.

"Excuse me," she mumbles, though only Eli hears it, and flees. The edges of the tray dig into her hands but she doesn't look up, not caring where she's going, just needing to get out. The Midway Shatterdome is cavernous and complex, years of add-ons turning the building into a maze with the Garage at it's heart. Somehow, her feet take her right back there and she makes her way over to the empty spot that Nomad Blue will take up. There's only one other Jaeger in the secondary hanger right now, all the way on the other side, Echo Thunder.

So high up, the sounds of the techs moving on the ground feel distant and far away. Fuzzy like a dream.

"Should you be up here?"

The voice makes her jump and she looks up to see a pretty brunette in a lab coat and thick rimmed glasses. She looks truly concerned about Rikki and kneels down beside her. "I- I'm sorry I don't-"

"You're one of the new pilots, right? Sif mentioned you." The woman makes herself more comfortable, feet dangling over the edge right next to Rikki. "I'm Jane Foster. I study the affects of Jaeger use and drifting on human bodies." She holds out a hand for Rikki which she carefully takes. "I try to make sure you all stay healthy and sane."

"Must be hard work," Rikki says, feeling like she should say something. "I'm Rikki but I guess you know that."

Jane grins. "Assuming makes an ass of you and me." Rikki's blush darkens and she focuses on tearing up a piece of bread. She's not that special, why would anyone know her name. "Relax Rikki. Where were you stationed before?"

"Huh?"

"Before Midway." Jane has a gentle smile and she seems truly interested but Rikki spent part of her childhood in foster homes and this woman has no reason to be nice to her. Rikki has a hard time trusting her smile. "You must have been stationed somewhere."

"Um Alaska. We pilot the Nomad Blue." It's no secret and everyone will know soon enough.

"Tell me about her."

Rikki looks at her in surprise for a second, but Jane doesn't falter. Rikki finds herself smiling for the first time since she stepped foot on Midway. "She's beautiful. One of a kind. They built her out of the wrecks of Howler Red and Stature Bravo since they needed a Jaeger in a hurry, it takes two techs to make sure she's even working right. But she's home."

Jane wraps an arm around Rikki's shoulders, it's loose but comforting. Rikki lets herself be tugged over to rest her head on Jane's shoulder. It's good to have someone to lean on. Eli is usually there for her but sometimes, a change is good. "Don't worry Rikki, you'll fit in just fine." For the first time, Rikki thinks she believes it.

When she finally heads back to her quarters, Eli is sitting outside, fidgeting with his dog tags. Rikki silently sits down next to him and reaches over to take one of his hands in hers.

"Steve felt awful," Eli finally says. "Thought he'd scared you off. I told him you were allergic to all the testosterone at the table."

"You're an ass," she says without any heat. "We're doing the right thing, right? Nomad is tough, she can handle stronger Kaiju."

"Hell yea she can. She's got us." Eli bumps his shoulder against hers so she bumps him back. They've already handled two Kaiju with no backup, they can do anything with the support they're going to get now.

-

They're there on the deck the next day as the helicopters carry over Nomad Blue. She's not the prettiest, sometimes it doesn't look like all her parts should fit together correctly but she's theres and when the other pilots all show up to watch as well, they know they're not alone.

"She is majestic," Val says solemnly, her accent adding an extra weight to her words.

"She'll fit in well," Sam adds and claps Eli on the shoulder.

"Next we better see you both in the Kwoon," Betsy says. "Won't know what you're like in the Jaeger until we see you there."

"Leave them be Bets, Midway is a lot for newcomers to take in," her co-pilot, Ororo kisses Betsy on the cheek. Betsy rolls her eyes and looks unimpressed by Ororo's reassurance. "At least wait until after lunch."

Rikki lingers after the other pilots start to filter back inside. Eli fits in well with them, but then he's always been good with people. He was friends with everyone in Alaska, while Rikki kept close to only a few people and she knows that she'll never keep in contact with anyone else from that Shatterdome.

"You'll fit in too." She turns to see that Bucky has lingered with her, shuffling his feet on the concrete. "It's weird at first, everyone looking at you and expecting shit but they figure out who you are and you figure it out- fuck I'm no good at this shit but Steve and Sam gave me a 'you should help the new girl' speech so uh I hope I'm helping."

"Dr. Foster's was better."

He laughs sharply and Rikki finds herself smiling back. "Yea I told them I'm awful at this shit, Jane's amazing. You'll see her a lot, always checking our vitals. Come on, want to go take Betsy up on her challenge?" He holds his arm out for her and after a moment she takes it. They make their way back inside together. Everyone else is already in the mess and they make room for the two of them. Eli had gotten enough food to share with her and it's comfortable. Jane shows up at some point and slips into Sif's lap, and Steve, Sam and Bucky have whatever their thing is (Rikki's heard the rumors). And even though they're all sort of paired up with their own co-pilots, it's cozy.

It's kind of like family.

Eli grins at her, he feels the same thing she does. And she knows when they get into the Kwoon room, they can even show the veterans sitting with them a thing or two.


End file.
